The corpse lay still.
Blackened blood seeped into the cracked ground, steaming faintly as it touched the scorched earth. Xu Yuan stood over it, breathing heavily, the broken sword trembling slightly in his grip.
Pain radiated from his arm in relentless waves.
It was not the sharp pain of injury, but a deeper, more insidious agony—like his bones were protesting, his flesh screaming in silent rebellion against something it was never meant to touch.
Law.
Even a fragment of Sword Law was far beyond what his current body could endure.
Xu Yuan loosened his grip and let the blade rest against the ground. The moment contact broke, the pressure eased, though the ache lingered like a reminder carved into his nerves.
"So reckless," he muttered to himself, voice hoarse.
But there was no regret in his eyes.
Only clarity.
He looked down at the monster's corpse.
The creature was ugly—its body warped by corruption, muscles swollen unevenly, skin cracked like dried mud. Yet beneath the filth and deformity, Xu Yuan could sense it: dense vitality, compressed into flesh that had survived this hellish environment.
This world destroyed Qi.
But it tempered bodies.
Xu Yuan's gaze sharpened.
[System Analysis: Non-grade Hell Monster]
[Status: Deceased]
[Body contains trace vitality suitable for Body Refinement.]
As expected.
Xu Yuan crouched beside the corpse and pressed his palm lightly against its chest. The skin was hot—unnaturally so—but not unpleasant. Instead, it felt like touching a furnace that had burned for too long.
"Tell me," he said softly, "how do I start?"
[Body Cultivation Path available.]
[Initial Method: Hellforged Body Tempering Art (Incomplete)]
Xu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.
"Incomplete?"
[Hell World limitations detected.]
[Method adapted to environment.]
[Completion requires extreme physical stress, vitality absorption, and survival-based refinement.]
Xu Yuan let out a quiet breath.
"So in other words," he said, "I either grow stronger… or I die."
[Correct.]
He smiled faintly.
"That suits me."
Xu Yuan straightened and scanned his surroundings once more. The earlier monsters had fled, their primitive instincts warning them away after the sudden death of one of their own. But he knew better than to relax.
In a Hell World, weakness was a scent.
More would come.
Before that happened, he needed to act.
Xu Yuan dragged the corpse toward a jagged rock formation nearby, using the sword to carve shallow grooves into the stone. The work was clumsy and slow—his body lacked strength—but he persisted, sweat dripping from his brow.
Once finished, he stepped back and studied the crude setup.
Not elegant.
But sufficient.
He placed his hands on the monster's chest again.
"Begin."
[Hellforged Body Tempering Art – First Tempering: Flesh Awakening]
[Warning: Pain level extreme. Survival probability: 37%.]
Xu Yuan did not hesitate.
The moment the technique activated, the corpse beneath his hands seemed to collapse inward. A surge of heat rushed into his palms, flooding his arms like molten metal.
Pain erupted instantly.
Xu Yuan's vision went white.
It felt as though his muscles were being torn apart from the inside, rebuilt, and torn again—over and over in a merciless cycle. His bones vibrated violently, microscopic fractures forming and healing in rapid succession.
He bit down hard, drawing blood.
A scream clawed at his throat, but he swallowed it.
No one would hear him here anyway.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
Xu Yuan's knees buckled, and he fell forward, barely catching himself on the rock. His body trembled uncontrollably, sweat and blood mixing as they soaked into the ground.
The corpse beneath him had withered, its flesh shriveled into something closer to ash than meat.
[Flesh Awakening complete.]
[Body strength increased marginally.]
[Pain tolerance slightly improved.]
Xu Yuan lay there for several seconds, chest heaving.
Then he laughed.
A short, breathless laugh.
"So this is cultivation," he whispered. "Not bad."
Slowly, he pushed himself upright.
His body still hurt—terribly—but it was a different kind of pain now. It felt… solid. Like something fragile had been reinforced, however slightly.
Xu Yuan clenched his fist.
The air popped faintly.
His eyes widened a fraction.
That single monster had given him almost nothing by normal standards—but to someone who had started with less than nothing, it was everything.
"Again," he said.
The system did not respond.
Instead, it presented a notification.
[Alert: Host body requires recovery before further refinement.]
[Recommendation: Nutrient intake or rest.]
Xu Yuan glanced at the shriveled remains of the monster.
"Nutrients," he echoed thoughtfully.
He knelt and examined what was left. Most of the vitality had been stripped away, but not all. Certain parts—dense muscle fibers, marrow-rich bones—still held value.
Xu Yuan swallowed.
He had no illusions.
This was hell.
He took the sword and began cutting.
The process was crude, messy, and unpleasant. The smell alone was enough to make his stomach churn. But Xu Yuan did not stop. He separated what little edible matter remained and brought it to his mouth.
The taste was vile.
Bitter. Metallic. Burnt.
He chewed slowly, forcing himself to swallow.
The moment it passed his throat, warmth spread through his body. Weak, but real.
[Vitality intake detected.]
[Recovery accelerated slightly.]
Xu Yuan exhaled.
"So even this can be used," he murmured.
He leaned back against the rock, eyes half-closed.
For the first time since awakening, he allowed himself to think.
He was alone.
No family.
No backing.
No protection.
But he was free.
Free from bloodline.
Free from fate.
Free from expectations.
The ring on his finger pulsed faintly, almost imperceptibly.
Xu Yuan's gaze dropped to it.
"So you're my insurance," he said quietly. "Hiding me from heaven itself."
[Ring of Originless Silence: Active.]
[All presence concealed.]
Xu Yuan nodded.
"Good."
He stood slowly, picking up the broken sword once more.
The pain returned instantly, but this time, it was manageable. His body had adapted—just enough.
"Then we'll do this properly," he said.
He looked out into the hellish plains.
"I'll hunt."
As if answering his declaration, a distant roar echoed across the land—deeper than before, heavier, filled with territorial rage.
Xu Yuan smiled faintly.
"Perfect."
He moved.
The next hours blurred into blood and motion.
Xu Yuan hunted carefully, never charging recklessly. He learned quickly—how the monsters moved, how they attacked, where their bodies were strongest and weakest. Each fight pushed him to his limits.
Each kill brought pain.
And something else.
An invisible weight began to accumulate around him.
Subtle.
Easy to miss.
Even Xu Yuan himself did not fully notice it at first.
But the monsters did.
Some hesitated before attacking. Others fled outright. A few froze, instincts screaming danger they could not understand.
[Latent aura accumulation ongoing.]
Xu Yuan ignored the notification.
He was too busy surviving.
By the time the hellish glow dimmed—if such a thing could be called night—Xu Yuan stood amidst a field of corpses. His body was covered in blood, his breath steady but heavy.
He felt stronger.
Not by much.
But undeniably so.
More importantly, he felt… rooted.
As if his existence had sunk a fraction deeper into this world.
Xu Yuan sheathed the broken sword and straightened.
"This is just the beginning," he said calmly.
Far above, beyond this low-level Hell World, something ancient stirred.
Not yet alarmed.
Not yet aware.
But watching.
________________________
Author Note
Chapter 2 marks the true start of the path—no Qi, no shortcuts, only blood and endurance.
The hell world arc will focus heavily on body cultivation, survival, and quiet escalation.
If you're enjoying the pacing and atmosphere, your comments and support mean a lot.
See you in the next chapter.